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KELSEY HEAD

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DESCRIPTION

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The earthwork remains of an Iron Age cliff castle and annexe on Kelsey Head. Flint flakes found in the area are considered to be unrelated to the earthwork, and are probably occupation material from the Mesolithic and Neolithic. The cliff castle site measures approximately 170 metres by 160 metres and is irregular in plan. The ramparts on the promontory neck are of earth and stone, incorporating natural rock outcrops and form a curving L shape. The external ditch is partly rock-cut. The annexe measures up to 80 metres by 70 metres and adjoins the cliff castle to the north east. Its south east side is protected by an earthwork with an external ditch. This feature is interpreted as an annexe but it is possible that it originated as an earlier cliff castle, later reused as an annexe.

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(SW 765 608) Camp (NR) (1)

Visited 4 9 50. A single L-shaped bank and ditch cutting off a
portion of the headland. It has the appearance of being unfinished
work as depth of ditch and height and spread of bank are very
uneven. The original entrance seems to have been at south angle
The earthworks are weak and are situated on a seaward slope with
restricted inland observation. (2)

"Camp or Cliff Castle. (See Photographs) Background ditch
stretching north east, foreground ditch stretching north west.
Flint flakes are scattered round outcrop of rock visible inside
earthwork top left. This camp has yielded no other
material." (3)

A univallate IA cliff castle with an entrance near the SE angle
of the rampart. The ditch is much silted with wind blown soil,
and the contention by F1 that the earthwork is unfinished is quite
tenable in view of the irregularities of both bank and ditch.

Flint flakes found by Penna are unrelated to the earthwork and are
probably of the Mesolithic occupation of the general area noted
by Harding (Ant. J. 30 1950 164). (4)

Cliff Castle (NR) (5)

Listed (6) as a univallate cliff castle with simple entrance, area eroded and bank incorporating natural outcrops.
See plan (7). (6-7)

Iron Age pottery and occupation on the landward end of the
headland is possibly connected with the cliff castle.
(See SW 76 SE 7). (8)

SW 764 608. Kelsey Head. Listed in gazetteer as a univallate hillfort in a coastal position covering 1.5ha. (9)

Kelsey Head. Short description. (10)

SW 76506080. A later prehistoric cliff castle with an annexe on Kelsey Head. It is possible that the feature interpreted as an annexe is actually an earlier cliff castle, later reused as an annexe. Scheduled. (11)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1907

( 2) Field Investigators Comments

F1 GSL 14-SEP-50

( 3) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F2 MJF 17-DEC-69

( 5) Annotated Record Map

OS 1:10 000 1974

( 6) Cornwall Archaeological Society Cornish archaeology

R Warner 6, 1967 Page(s)111

( 7) Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall

HM Whitley 7, 1881-3 Page(s)289-91

( 8) Bulletin of the Northamptonshire Federation of Archaeological Societies

JR Harding 30, 1950 Page(s)163-5

(9) by A H A Hogg 1979 British hillforts : an index

BAR British series1 (1974) - 62 Page(s)216

(10) Annual report of the Royal Institution of Cornwall

SR Pattison 31, 1849 Page(s)36-7

(11) Scheduled Monument Notification

11-DEC-2001

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